Which Country Produces the Most Sugar Cane in the World?

In 2015, the country with the largest volume of the sugar cane output was Brazil (756,790 thousand tonnes), accounting for 39% of global production. Moreover, sugar cane output in Brazil exceeded the figures recorded by the world's second largest producer, India (342,565 thousand tonnes), twofold. The third position in this ranking was occupied by China with a share of 7%.

From 2007 to 2015, an average annual growth rate of sugar cane producton in Brazil stood at +4.1%. The remaining producing countries recorded the following average annual growth rates: India (-0.5% per year) and China (+1.5% per year).

Global Sugar Cane Production

Global sugar cane production amounted to 1,925,663 thousand tonnes in 2015, rising by +2.0% against the previous year level. Overall, the global sugar cane output pursued a pronounced growth from 2007 to 2015. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticable fluctuations throughout the analyzed period. The total output figures increased at an average annual rate of +2.2%. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2008, when the output figure increased by +7% from the previous year level. Over the period under review, the global sugar cane production reached its maximum volume in 2015, and is likely to continue its growth in the immediate term.

Over the analyzed period, an increase in global sugar cane production was primarily driven by disposable income growth and popularisation of healthy beverages. Furthermore, these key drivers are expected to continue promoting the sugar cane output in the immediate term. This general positive trend was largely conditioned by a robust expansion of the harvested area and a slight contraction of the yield figures.

The world sugar cane harvested area amounted to 27,739 thousand ha in 2015, which was 2.1% more than the previous year figure. The sugar cane harvested area indicated a noticeable increase over the period under review, representing a compound annual growth rate of +2.5% from 2007 to 2015. This trend pattern, however, indicated some mild fluctuations over the recent years. Over the period under review, the total sugar cane harvested area peaked in 2015, and is likely to continue its expansion in the immediate term, following rising demand over the globe.

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